


Across the Stars

by ThokKasamee



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Multi, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:03:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThokKasamee/pseuds/ThokKasamee
Summary: Shepard's survived a lot, even died once and been brought back. But the arrival of 2 fleets from a galaxy far, far away? Cut off from their home and locked in an ancient war?This complicates things.





	1. The End is the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Effectively, this is the unaltered beginning of Mass Effect 2.

**_SSV_ Normandy, _2_ _nd_ _deck,_ _Omega Nebula, in orbit of Alchera..._**

 

“We’ve been hit, kinetic barriers didn’t even slow it down! Our stealth systems were useless, we may as well have be waving a flare in the window!”

Shepard quickly slammed his helmet down on his head, sealing his suit. Fires raged everywhere as the Normandy’s systems failed. Alarms blared loudly, but the sound was fading rapidly as the ship lost power and vented air into space.

“All hands to the escape pods, abandon ship. Repeat, abandon ship,” the automated alert system said on a loop, getting weaker and weaker each time.

Ashley just finished putting her helmet on.

“What about you, Shepard?” Her voice was full of panic. _Couldn’t he see the ship was being torn apart?_

“I’m going to save Joker,” Shepard reply, cool as ever. _I’m not leaving anyone behind,_ _Ash_ _._

“Hurry, Shepard!” was the last thing she said to him before he darted up the stairs to the CIC. She hoped it wouldn’t be the last thing he heard her say.

 

_Please, Shepard...come back alive._

 

As Shepard entered the CIC, what he saw horrified him.

The ceiling was just...gone. The entire CIC and map room was open to space, and the chairs where the crew manned their stations now floated freely. In the distance, casting an ominous shadow, was their mysterious attacker, a massive ship unlike any he’d seen before.

Activating his magnetic boots, he slowly walked to the helm, every motion as slow as if he were underwater. Finally, he reached the helm, where Joker had donned an oxygen mask and tried desperately to save the dying Normandy.

“Come on Joker, we need to get out of here!” Shepard screamed, aware of the dwindling oxygen and crumbling ship around them.

“No, the ship! I-I can save her!” Joker screamed, hands and fingers darting around frantically pressing buttons. He was clearly ready to go down with the Normandy, if need be.

“The Normandy’s gone, kid.” Shepard replied, scooping Joker up into his arms, moving as fast as he could to the nearby escape pod.

As they reached the doors, his magnetic boots failed and he was forced to float inside of it. Sitting Joker down inside of it, Shepard pushed himself to the launch panel. He realized that the escape pod’s launch systems were damaged, and it would have to be launched manually. His heart dropped into his stomach, despair threatening to freeze him at this critical moment.

Shutting the escape pod door, Shepard pressed the button, sending Joker and a few other crewmen out to safety. All Shepard could think of was Ashley...his crew...and how he’d failed. Despite the possibility being remote, he dared to hope he could rely on his sealed suit until rescue came.

Another burst of the deadly weapon hit the Normandy, splintering the ship apart in a final killing blow. He was sent flying by a piece of debris into the cold void of space. Being bounced around by pieces of the Normandy and sent into a tumble, he tried desperately to “upright” himself.

Feeling something sharp and small slam into his neck, he realized his suit was punctured. Panic overcame him, as the last of his oxygen bled off into space. He tried to take shallow breaths of anything, but nothing was there to breathe in.

As darkness crept into to corners of his vision, his body freezing in the void of space, above the small and desolate world they had been orbiting, his last thought before losing consciousness was simple.

 

_I guess I’m not coming back after all, Ash._

 


	2. Beyond the Frontier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Imperials begin their journey.

**_I.S.S._ Indomitable ( _Shadow_ -class Dreadnought) _, Guest Quarters, Unknown Regions, Deep Space_**

 

Rolling his helmet in his hands, sitting alone in his room, onboard his ship, the Sith known as Darth Kyynri couldn’t help but be anxious.

Ever since they’d stabilized the subspace anomaly, there was no limit to the bickering and debating as to their next course of action. Indeed, it had been over 3 years since they discovered it, stabilized it, and established a “quarantine” that permitted no access to it.

You had those who felt a full-blown expedition was in order, those who felt a smaller scouting party was a better approach, and you had those who thought a “quarantine” should be set up. In the end, the Empress decided that a “scouting force”, consistent with a large-scale Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, was going to be sent through the “wormhole gate” as it was being called. Despite no one actually _saying_ it out loud, it was obvious they were being prepared for a one-way trip.

 

What else could being stuffed to the brim with consumables, having freighters underslung that served as mobile cargo containers, and being issued colonization equipment mean?

 

And who else but the Empire’s Wrath to lead what would effectively be a suicide mission, especially given the critical situation of the Empire and the value of this fleet?

 

_Someone’s probably already aiming for my position, I just know it. All these worms are concerned with is damn political maneuvering. Can’t they be content to serve the Empire well?_

_Maybe someone outside the Empire wants me gone._

 

An ear-splitting alarm blared. A sound he was all too familiar with.

“General Quarters, General Quarters! All hands to action stations! We will be entering the anomaly in 3 minutes!” sounded a monotone male voice.

Putting his helmet on and checking the seals, he sprinted to the bridge. Upon entry, Captain Malavai Quinn (a longtime friend and ally of Darth Kyynri’s) saluted to him and stood slightly behind Kyynri in front of the massive viewing panels, which were active due to the bridge’s blast shutters being closed (thus protecting the windows, and the crew, from decompression should their integrity become compromised).

“My Lord, it is good to see you. I trust you’re doing well?” Quinn asked with genuine concern.

“As well as I can be, given our situation.” Kyynri replied stiffly.

“Understood, my Lord. Do you have any orders for us before we enter the anomaly?”

“Open a fleetwide channel, I believe some words of encouragement couldn’t hurt.”

Nodding, Malavai relayed Kyynri’s order to the Communications station. Kyynri spoke, the sinking feeling of this being a one-way suicide mission growing in his gut.

“Servants of the Emperor, we have been tasked with a very important mission. For those of you who do not know, 3 years ago, a subspace anomaly was discovered here. To this day, it baffles our best and brightest, though it is believed it is a “wormhole”.”

“However, despite our best efforts, it is believed that this anomaly is only stable because no ships through it have passed through. However, small unmanned probes, the likes of which we have sent against the Galactic Republic, have passed through without problem. The limited transmissions we have received back have informed us of a completely new galaxy, far from our own, of roughly the same size.”

“However, that is all our probes have been able to tell us, as we lose contact within 2-4 standard days. This is likely to due the randomized Hyperspace jumps they are programmed to take. Therefore, the Emperor has put together and tasked this fleet with going through and exploring this new galaxy.”

“As I am not one to lie or mislead those I command, I shall be upfront with you: This mission is almost certainly a one-way prospect. If we, the fleet, successfully go through, the wormhole has a 97.4% probability of collapsing behind us.”

“I know how most of you are feeling upon hearing this. I know that the Empire asks much of you. I also know that you are the best among the Empire. I know that you are up to this task. I know that, united as one, we will succeed.”

“Thus, we shall go forth, and claim glory in the name of the Empire, and the name of the Sith Empire! _We live for the Empire, we die for the Empire_!”

The channel closed.

“Start the countdown, Captain.”

“Aye, sir. Entering anomaly in 5...4...3...2...1...”

One by one, the fleet shot through the anomaly, until only the I.S.S. _Shadow_ remained. Then, it too went through. Kyynri noted it felt no different than an ordinary hyperspace jump. _How quaint…_

“Sensor station, see if you can get a reading on the anomaly’s entrance. Has it collapsed behind us?” Kyynri ordered, calmly. He noted Quinn’s look of slight displeasure. Though Quinn and Kyynri were longtime friends, Quinn did not like being bypassed on his ship.

He’d have to deal with it.

The crewman replied nervously, “Readings inconclusive, sir.”

“Comms, attempt to ping Dromund Kaas.” Kyynri ordered again, eyebrows furrowing underneath his helmet.

“Sir, all contact with the rest of the Empire...has...been lost...sir,” the Communications officer replied, sounding utterly defeated.

 

_Well...that answers the question of returning home._

 

“Comms, attempt to ping the rest of the fleet.” Kyynri waited a few minutes for the reply.

“All vessels reported in, green across the board, sir.”

 

_At least the gang’s all here._

 

“Navigation, how long until we exit back into normal space?”

“Estimated time stands at 13 months, sir. But due to the anomalous nature of this...wormhole...this is little more than a wild guess, sir.”

“Understood, alert us if anything changes.” _Well...that doesn’t make me confident in our odds._

“Aye, aye, sir.”

 

_I sincerely hope we’ll survive long enough to do anything of note._


End file.
